Corset-waist



(No Model.)

UORSBT WAIST.

UNITED STATES PATENT QEEIcE.

VIRGINIA H. OBERLY, 0F CONCORD, NEv HAMPSHIRE.

CO RSET-WAIST.

SPECIFICATION forming'part of Letters Patent No. 572,025, dated November 24, 1896.

Application filed January 25, 1896. Serial No. 576,846. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, VIRGINIA H. OBERLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Concord, in the county of Merrimac and'State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in CorsetlVaists; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in corset-waists, and has more particular relation to the fastening and supporting portions thereof; and it consists of a corset-waist provided along its meeting edges with buttonholes and buttons strung at intervals upon a iiexible cord or tape, said buttons being passed through one set of said buttonholes from the rear, and the other portion of the fabric in which the other set of buttonholes is formed being adapted to be buttoned over the heads of the buttons, and the construction being such that the cord or tape serves as a flexible accommodating-shank for each button and thus allows of the buttons being very readily and easily passed into and out of the buttonholes, and the construction also being such that the cord and the buttons can be removed from the corset-waist when it is necessary that the waist shall be laundered.

It also consists of certain other novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, all of which will be hereinafter more particularly set forth and claimed.

Corset-waists now on the market are in most instances constructed with permanentlyattached front buttons or other metallic fastening means which are very objectionable, for the reason that when it is desired to laundry the garment this must be done with the buttons or other fastenings in place on the garment. If the fastenin gs are removed, it is necessary in some constructions to rip the corset and remove the steel carrying the fastenings, which not only consumes a great deal of time, but makes it`difcult to restore the corset-waist to its original condition, and hence this operation is seldom resorted to on account of the labor and many inconveniences connected therewith. Another obj ection to having permanently-attached metallic fastenings is that unless the fastenings are removed when the corset-waist is laundered they will rust, discolor, and injure the corset fabric.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l represents a front elevation of a corset-waist embodying that form of my invention wherein the corsetwaist is provided with a plurality of single buttonholes on one of its front edges and buttonholes in pairs on the other edge, also wherein dat buttons with eyes are strung and tied upon a cord. In this view some of the buttons are omitted in order to show the arrangement of the buttonholes in pairs, and the single buttonholes' are shown provided with looped buttonhole-protectors formed of a tape-like fabric, and the buttons connected by a cord passed through their eyes. Fig; 2 represents a broken front elevation of one of the meeting edges of acorset-waist embodying that form of my invention wherein buttons used in pairs and connected by flexible Shanks, said Shanks being formed of the cord which connects the whole series of pairs of buttons. In this view some of the buttons are shown out of their buttonholes in order that the manner in which the cord or tape connects them and serves for forming their iiexible shanks may be more clearly seen. Fig. 3 represents an enlarged detail elevation view of a front portion of a corset-waist constructed with buttonholes having protectionloops around their edges. buttons are shown in dotted lines as in the buttonholes; and Fig. 4 represents a rear elevation of a corset-waist,showing my improved construction for lacing the back edges together.

A in the drawings represents a corset-waist made in accordance with my invention, said waistcomprising a body portion o, made of corset fabric, steels or whalebones B, looped buttonhole-protectors C, supporting and attaching band D, having looped button receivers and supports C, and buttons E Aor E'.

' The corset-waist is constructed with openended casings F, in which the steels or whalebones B are inserted, and from which they In this View the Y IOO can be readily removed through openings or Y slits at f when it is desired to laundry the corset-waist, and can also be readily replaced after it is laundered.

The rear of the corset-waist is provided with suitable stitched or worked lacingwholes f' f', adapted to take the place of the ordinary metallic eyelets. These lacings extend to and against the terminal stays which stiffen and strengthen the edges of the corset-waist, and thus they are prevented from pulling or tearing out when the lacing is applied and tightened in the same. The loop-protectors C and the button receivers and supporters C are constructed of tape-like material, being formed in each case by looping such material and securing the ends thereof and preferablya portion of its inner edges to the corset fabric at the front and on its waistband D, so that a central opening is left for the insertion and removal of a button.

I have represented the tape-like fabric of which the looped protectors are constructed slightly overlapping, and I prefer this construction because it assists in holding in place the buttons shown in Fig. 2, and as hereinafter described. I have also represented the outer ends of the looped protectors sewed or secured to the corset-waist fabric, and I prefer this construction because it gives a neater appearance to the corset-waist and also holds the looped protectors more firmly. I prefer to use tape in the construction of the protectors C and the button receivers and supports C because the edges of this fabric are formed with a selvage edge and thus renders the working of buttonholes unnecessary and consequently greatly reduces the labor and cost of making my improved corset-waist.

The advantage of using' a textile material as a rear fastening for corset -waists over metal fastenings is, in addition to those already set forth, that such fastenings will not rust and discolor thecorset-waist fabric when moistened by perspiration.

Under one construction of my corset-waist the fastenings for the front meeting edges thereof comprise, as shown in Fig. l, holes a, formed on one of said edges and protected by the looped protectors C', and detachable flat-eyed buttons E and buttonholes ct2,for1ned in the opposite edge and arranged in pairs.

The buttons E are detachably connected to one of the edges by a cord as, said cord lirst passing outward through one buttonhole of one of the pairs, then through an eye of the button, and then inward through another eye of the but-ton and through the other buttonholes of said pair. The cord is then tied. in a single knot and passes on to the next pair of buttonholes, where the operation continues of passing it through one buttonhole and eye of the button and then back through another eye of the button and through the other buttonhole ofthe pair, and thus the operation continues until all the buttons are connected by the cord.

In the form of front fastenings shown in Fig. 2 the edge of the corset-waist for receiving the buttons E is provided with single buttonholes a, arranged at equal distances apart instead of in pairs, as in Fig. 1, and two flat-eyed buttons E' are arranged in pairs, so that one is opposite the other, and a cord is laced through the respective pairs of fiat buttons in such a manner that a flexible shank is formed between each pair of buttons, said shanks being portions of the cord itself. Vith this latter construction of fastening means the buttons are applied to the waist by forcing provided with flexible shanks disconnected f from the cord.

The garment-supporting waistband D is applied at the waist-line and is secured in place preferably by the samevertical stitches f2 which form the casings of the pockets F, and thus it will not be necessary to further secure the band by horizontal stitches between the casings or pockets. Iregard this feature of construction very important, as it saves considerable time and labor and reduces the cost of the corset-waist.

Removable buttons, constructed like E', may be inserted through the looped button receivers and supports C of the waistband.

It will be understood that any article of wearing-apparel provided with buttonholes at its edges maybe attached to the outerbuttons E', and thus be supported by the waistband.

It will be observed from the foregoing specification that I provide a corset-waist with lacing and fastening means which will not rust and injure the garment, and also with a fastening means that can be instantly secured to or detached from the corset-waist without cutting or tearing or in any way destroying or injuring the same. Furthermore, that the front fastening means can be very easily manipulated on account of the flexible Shanks of the buttons allowing the buttons to be turned out of a parallel position with respect to the fabric.

lVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure' by Letters Patent, is Y l. An improved article of manufacture, to wit: a corset-waist having along one of its meeting edges, single spaced buttonholes and along the opposite edge buttonholes arranged in pairs opposite each single buttonhole of the opposite edge, substantially as described.

2. An improved article of manufacture, to wit: a corset-waist provided along its meeting edges with buttonholes,a cord or tape carrying IOO IIO

buttons arranged in pairs at equal intervals thereon and adapted to be slipped through the buttonholes on one of said meeting edges; said cord being passed through the eyes of the buttons and forming flexible Shanks between the buttons of each pair, substantially as described.

3. The new article of manufacture, to wit: a washable corset Waist constructed with open-ended casings 0r pockets and buttonholes in its meeting front edges and lacingholes in its meeting back edges, a lacing-cord, removable steels or bones in said casings, a

. supporting and attaching band applied to the corset at the waist-line and secured thereto by the vertical stitching which forms the cas- 

